Just in time for the holidays, Nike has announced a voluntary quality return of the Nike+ SportBand following reports of faulty displays. This is not a recall, exactly, but an invitation for all consumers and retailers to return any defective SportBands for a refund or exchange. Nike has begun phasing out the current model and plans to introduce an improved SportBand next year. The company is asking runners to direct questions regarding SportBand problems to their local retailer. For any additional questions they can call the Nike consumer service line at 800-379-6453.

In case you aren't familiar with the SportBand, it's the stripped-down watch that works with the Nike Plus shoe sensor to wirelessly track speed and distance. (Click here to read our "sneak peek" review from April 2008.) Despite the fact that Nike has sold more than 500,000 bands this year (according to SportsOneSource), it has been dogged by reports of blemishes and visual faults cropping up onscreen during regular use.

Users have groused about such problems in this Nike Plus discussion thread. Here’s a sample post:

“I exchanged my SB for a new one over the weekend and today was my first run with the new band. Right out of the box the black background looks like it dried out and is peeling away from the edges. The functionality was fine but I am worried how long this one will last.”

Personally, I haven’t experienced any problems with the SportBand’s display, but I also haven’t used it in a while since I don’t always run in Nike shoes. Has anyone out there had problems with SportBand that they’d like to share?